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There was a king by name Puranjana. He had a good friend called Avijnyaata
which means 'the unknowable'. The two were inseparable. As years rolled by, Puranjana got restless. He left his home looking for a new one. One day near
the Himalayas, he found a new, beautiful city that had nine gates. Well-designed, the city had everything one could want. The houses were all
built of gold, silver and inlaid with all known precious gems - amethyst, corals, diamonds, emeralds, crystals, pearls, rubies and sapphires. There
was also a huge mansion with seven floors. In short, it was an ideal city that could not be
rivaled or bettered. It was known as 'Bhogavati'.
There was a lovely garden. In it Puranjana saw a lovely woman, possibly in
her mid-teens. She was captivating, breathtakingly so. Puranjana fell in love with her straightaway. He proposed to her.
She could not tell Puranjana who she was, or how she came into being. "I
live here. A five-headed snake guards me and the city while we are all asleep. The men and women in the city are my companions. You have come here
in search of pleasure. I am myself keen on pleasures. Let us, therefore, be happy together, in love with each other." Her name was Puranjani, she added.
Both the king Puranjana and Puranjani lived happily in each other's company
for a long, long time. Each would not leave the other even for a minute. One's need was the other's too. One's satisfaction matched that of the
other. When she sang, he formed the words. They laughed and wept together. Time fled. Children were born to them and they grew up. Puranjana and
beloved Puranjani became old. They started doing conventional rituals, austerities,
yajnas, etc. Still, old age became their new friend and would not leave them.
There was a Gandharva (a celestial being) chieftain, by name
'Chandavega' (of hurricane speed). He had 365 powerful servants (The Bhagavatam,
wherefrom this episode is taken, mentions only 360 servants). These 365 men-servants had an exactly equal number of women-partners. Men were fair
and the women were dark, for a change.
Chandavega decided to attack the city Bhogavati. He laid siege to it on all
sides. The five-headed guardian snake Prajagara fought valiantly, but it could not withstand singlehandedly, the combined onslaught of Chandavega's
730-strong army. The fight went on for many years and eventually the snake was killed. Puranjana did not heed the warning even then.
Chandavega's friend Kala, also known as Time, had a daughter named Jara. She
was repulsive to look at and no one wanted her. She was told by Yavanesvara, Death, that no one could or would love her as she was ugly and stressful.
'If you ask people to accept and befriend you, no one will. You creep and sneak on them without their being aware of it. By the time they realise that
you are with them they cannot shake you off. They will have to live with you, till I take over. You are my younger sister and also to my younger
brother 'Prajavara'. Let us team up together.
R Srinivasan
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